Gov. Patrick Morrisey (R-WV) announced in a press conference on Monday that he has asked state Attorney General JB McCuskey to investigate the NCAA.
This comes after the West Virginia Mountaineers men’s basketball team was left out of the NCAA tournament despite its 19-13 record and 10-10 record in Big 12 conference play. The Mountaineers were on the verge of entering the 68-team tournament.
“West Virginia deserved to be in the NCAA Tournament,” Morrisey said behind a podium with the phrase “National Corrupt Athletic Association” emblazoned on it. “This is a miscarriage of justice and robbery at the highest level.”
McCluskey will review whether any backdoor deals were made to let other teams that were similarly on the fringe in ahead of the Mountaineers.
A key statistic reviewed by the selection committee is the number of Quadrant 1 games on a team’s schedule. The Mountaineers won six. Four of those wins were over teams who were ranked at the time, including No. 2 Iowa State, No. 3 Gonzaga, and No. 7 Kansas.
Meanwhile, the North Carolina Tar Heels went 1-12 in Quadrant 1 games but made it into the tournament. UNC’s athletic director, Bubba Cunningham, is the chairman of the selection committee but claimed he stepped out of the room when the decision was made.
West Virginia head coach Darian DeVries and athletic director Wren Baker issued a statement expressing their surprise at the decision.
PATRICK MORRISEY ELIMINATES DEI IN WEST VIRGINIA ON FIRST DAY AS GOVERNOR
“Obviously, we are extremely shocked, saddened and disappointed with not being selected for the NCAA Tournament,” the statement read. “We strongly believe that we have a resume that is worthy of an NCAA Tournament team. I am incredibly proud of this team and what they accomplished. They poured their hearts into this season and put all their collective efforts into making the NCAA Tournament, and I believe they did that.”
McCluskey sent the NCCA a letter demanding an explanation of its selection process “as soon as possible.” The first game in the NCAA tournament is slated for Tuesday evening.
The university’s women’s basketball team was invited to the tournament as a sixth seed.